Lining Things Up

Both of our kids from a very young age have liked to line things up. I won't say that they like things orderly (one look into our house at midday would dispel that notion immediately), but they do like lining up toys. This evening Sam decided to make a train out of his cars (and a couple of Thomas pieces). Sam likes cars and adores trucks. I don't understand the boy and trucks, but I guess he's on his way to becoming a good southerner.

"Friendly Birth Place"

Those of you who know Jess well understand that she highly values having a midwife deliver our children. We were able to have midwives both in Ann Arbor and Princeton, but they do not exist in Glynn County, Georgia. After many visits with local OB/GYNs, Jess decided that she was unhappy with what was available to her around here for birthing, and she was able to find an amazing place in Savannah that treats birth as a natural process rather than a risk to be mitigated. Annika, who is pretty emotionally in sync with Jess, knew how stressed her mom was over the prospects of birth here, and now she's taken to calling our birthing center "The Friendly Birth Place."

We all had a chance to visit there today, and it was truly wonderful. (It even uses solar power for electricity and hot water!) There are two birthing rooms. The pictures below are of one of the rooms. Missing from the picture is the sizable jacuzzi, where Jess hopes to labor. Just start praying now that we have enough time from knowing we're in labor to getting to Savannah!

Best Baby Shower Cake Ever

We had a very nice baby shower at the weekly church dinner this week. It's nice to be a part of a church that genuinely loves its pastors, staff, and members, and we felt that this evening. I do have to say that this has to be the best baby shower cake design ever. Apparently our church is concerned that I might dip our newborn into a cup of Starbucks coffee like I would biscotti or a scone. I sure would be freaked out to have a baby emerge from a steaming mug of coffee, but I'm guessing Jess would rather children enter the world that way than actually go through birth at this point...

Enjoy the pictures.

Boo!

We're still trying to figure out if this is a St. Simons thing (or if it's another Hallmark holiday), but we got "booed" the other day. It was fun that someone surprised us with a treat, and Annika especially enjoyed "booing" two other neighbors the next night. We sneaked out after dark to leave a surprise on their porches. Good times! (The last picture is a preview of Sammy's Halloween costume.)

We Survived!

So, we resumed soccer today, and - surprise, surprise - I think it was a success. Annika seemed to be enjoying herself - at least for the first half. (And about half the kids were rolling around the field late in the second half, so she wasn't alone with that!) While there were no touches on the ball today, there were no tears, and I think that's a great start. As you'll see in the pictures below, she's one of the youngest and smallest playing, so I say, "Bravo, Annika!" We're very proud of her.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words (And At Least That Many Toys)

This picture sums up our day with Annika. When she went to bed, everything in her room was put away - thanks to her hardworking mom. In a little under two hours, she quietly got out virtually every toy in her closet and littered her room with them. (Here's a game: Can you find Annika in the picture?)

Our entire day with her is pretty much summed up in that picture. We took her to soccer practice (#2), and she spent pretty much the entire practice grousing about her shinguards hurting rather than actually learning how to dribble a soccer ball. I'm guessing this whole season will be more a test of our perseverance - we won't let her quit - than it will be a time for her to enjoy learning something new.

The irony in all of this is that I start teaching a parenting class at the church tomorrow. I've never felt less-equipped as a parent than I do right now. Thank you, Annika for breaking us. Ugh.

Random Pictures

Since it's been almost a month since we last posted, I thought I would just put some random pictures up from this summer. With the fall coming, our schedules really picked up the pace. (And we seem to be doing a great job ignoring the fact that another HB is going to arrive here in two months.) Annika started soccer today, so I'll try to get a couple of pictures up as soon as I get them loaded. For now, these will have to suffice.


Sam does lots of "boy" things - cars and balls especially - but he loves stealing his sister's dress up stuff and cruising the house in it.


Sam and Laila are kindred spirits. She's only 1 month older than he is, and you can tell.


Annika took a couple trips to the beach this summer. It's actually a good place to cool off when the temps hit almost 100. She even lost her legs once.


We're proud members of the Jacksonville Zoo. On this trip, we got to feed the Lorikeets. Sam thought it was interesting - some of the time.


Finally, Annika's learning how to spell. Here's one of her first efforts with Sam's name. We'll keep trying!